The Least of These (Rev. Nicki Taylor)
Where is God?
Let’s be honest – is that a question you have ever asked yourself? Is that a question someone has ever asked you – whether a friend, a coworker, your child?
Let’s allow ourselves some space today – because this is a tough question, but a realistic one to ask sometimes. We see so much pain and conflict in the middle east – and it is natural to ask, where is God?
We know children still go to bed hungry, families are homeless, marriages are hurting, people are sick and lonely – not just around the world but even in our own backyard. Where is God?
This is a question I had someone ask me, while I was doing an internship with VITAS hospice. My patient had been unable to move from the neck down for over a year. It was an illness that came on suddenly, taking all her independence from her overnight. At this point, she had given up all hope of any improvement in her symptoms or in her mobility.
She lived every day in great pain. She lived every day unable to leave her room, because even sitting up in a wheelchair put her in excruciating pain. She did not have many visitors, because her family worked full time and was close, but not local. They called her often, of course – but she needed someone’s help to be able to use the phone.
One day – as she was in the midst of great physical pain, she asked me – where is God?
And where do we find the answer to that question? Where does God focus time and energy? And where should we – as followers – focus ours, too?
At the end of the day – what really matters? What is the most important?
Jesus lays this out for us in the parable of the sheep and the goats. A story that is familiar to us, but we will take a dive into today. It comes from the 25th chapter of Matthew, starting in verse 31:
31 “Now when the Human One comes in his majesty and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his majestic throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them from each other, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right side. But the goats he will put on his left.”
So this comes to us in the form of a narrative about the kingdom of God, about the end times, after a series of discussions Jesus is having with his disciples on this subject. So Jesus teaching on the kingdom of God, what happens when Jesus comes back – this spans two chapters in Matthew. Think about it – story, after teaching, after story, building and building, to here. It concludes with this narrative. So it lets us know how important this all is.
34 “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who will receive good things from my Father. Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world began. 35 I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. 36 I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’
37 “Then those who are righteous will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? 38 When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and give you clothes to wear? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 “Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’
This would have made a lot of sense to Matthew’s readers, in a lot of ways. First – while we can distinguish sheep and goats very easily in our North American, modern-day context, this was not the case for Jesus’ ancient Greco-Roman context. Sheep and goats looked almost exactly the same – and only those with skill could tell them apart. And society valued sheep over goats, because their wool meant they served a practical purpose and had a great economic value.
So these two groups of people looked like people who were serving God, at least on the surface. People who were where God was. But Jesus makes it very clear – the sheep had it right, because they were serving the least of these. They were doing the 5 Jewish acts of mercy – which people reading Matthew would have known like the back of their hand – but to those on the margins of society. “Elachistoi” – the Greek word meaning “least of these” – literally means the “most insignificant ones.”
When Jesus says serving the least of these is an extension of serving him, we get our answer, friends. We see where God is. It reminds us that our God is not dead. Our God is not remote. God has not left the building.
God is here – is present – God can be seen in the faces of the suffering faces of the least of these. And Jesus is urging us to look. Jesus is urging us to care. Jesus is urging us to act.
Because we see what happens when we don’t act – when we see the end of the story.
41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You who are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life.”
This is jarring – because it is meant to be. One commentator I read
compared this to our annual check-up at the doctor – this is not a fun exercise, but a necessary one. We go to our check-ups at the doctors, go through the pain of getting bloodwork drawn, everything checked, because we need to know that we are on the right track. We need to be reminded to course correct, if there is some medication we need to take or a lifestyle change we need to make. If we don’t – well the results are honestly, grim.
And the same is true of this story Jesus brings – this contrast between the sheep and the goats, the harsh language towards the goats, helps us course correct on the meaning of life. It reminds us of the ways and the places we must be looking for God. In serving others. In looking for and caring for the least of these. This is the meaning, the call, of the Christian life.
Back to my story about my VITAS patient – I want to let you know how that visit ended. She taught me something amazing that day about the least of these. After she choked out that powerful question – where is God? I didn’t respond with words.
I simply grabbed her hand and held it, put my other hand on her shoulder, and we cried together. And it was as if in those words we didn’t exchange, we knew – where was God? There in the room. There with her, the least of these. There in this moment of visiting the sick, as Jesus commands in these Scriptures.
God is found in the least of these – Jesus spells it out for us in Matthew. And we find God when we serve the least of these. Jesus in these Scriptures makes it clear it is a top priority, a top command of God for how we are to live our lives.
This is the why of the Christian life. And we may wonder – how do we live this out? What does it really look like?
Well one example comes from our very own Dale Golden – our care pastor here, who often serves other congregations by being a guest preacher. And last week was one of those instances.
So in the congregation was a family with a young baby. And if you have been here – you know how much of an act of congress it is to bring your baby anywhere, including church. You fill the diaper bag with half the nursery, struggle to make it out the door semi on-time, hoping there are no spit-ups or blowouts that throw everything off its course.
And so this family went through all of that, and showed up to worship. They had their baby with them, things were going good, they made it through the music, through the liturgy. Then Pastor Dale began to preach – and the baby began to fuss.
And we know it all happens, but if you’re the parent in that situation it can be a little harrowing, a little stressful. You can feel like all eyes are on you – even if they are not. And you can be frantically wondering – how can I get them to calm down, or am I going to have to go out and do the “baby walk” in the Narthex?
Well, Pastor Dale took things into his own hands. He walked over to the family, picked up the baby, and walked that baby around while he finished his sermon. He did the “baby walk” himself so the parents didn’t have to. At that point it was almost as if that act in and of itself preached more than the sermon itself. He saw a baby, a family, in need of help and he was available to serve.
Dale served the “least of these” – a family, with a little baby, trying to make it to church. He made the effort to ensure the littlest and the least of these were known they were welcome into the church.
This is the why of the Christian life. And this is the why of the church, too. Because as the church – how much more should we be reaching out to the “least of these?” Not only offering a helping hand to those in need within our congregation, but reaching out to those in our community and those around the world who Christ would see as the “least of these.”
We might be out of our official stewardship series – but that doesn’t mean it is time to stop talking about it or stop celebrating the ministry of our church. We ask you to be “counted in” to the ministry of the church – with your prayers, your financial gifts, your presence, your service and your witness – because it allows us as the church to be in ministry with the least of these. Together, united in ministry, we can reach and serve others – “the least of these” in our community, our state, and even around the globe, just as Christ commanded. How much more can we do together for the “least of these,” than any one of us can do apart?
We have homeless and food insecure students in our school system – this is a painful reality we live with. But we as a church combat this through our partnership with an organization called kidsPACK, which provides meals to students and families in need on the weekends to help close the gap. And our church – each month – packs over 1,000 meals for food insecure children through kidsPACK. That’s 1,000 actions against food insecurity in our community, done through this church, every month of the school year. Think about that impact. Think about the lives changed. What a way to serve the least of these – what a way to serve where God’s heart is.
Each year around this time we provide Holiday Assistance to our Neighborhood Ministries families. We make sure those children know they are seen and loved by this church. That they have what they need to provide a holiday meal for their family, that they have gifts to open on Christmas. Families have let us know over and over and over again how valuable this support is to their families – and it allows us to be the hands and feet of Christ.
And I could keep going on and on of course – with our ways that we serve, our ways that we care for the “least of these.” And in each of these opportunities – we find ourselves where God is. We find ourselves prioritizing the things that God prioritizes, serving in the way that God calls us to serve, spelled out in Matthew.
So as we look forward to the Advent season, friends – may we be counted in. May we be counted in to ways we can serve the least of these, may we be counted in to the ways our generosity can make a positive difference in this world. May we find God, in the ways we care and serve the least of these. Will you close with me in prayer?
God of love, God of care – we thank you for this Scripture and these commands in Matthew. May we remember to take it seriously. May we all find ways that we can love you, love our neighbor, love the least of these, more. Amen.
Daily Devotional Guide
Monday: Read Matthew 25:31-33. This begins the end of a long litany Jesus has given about the End Times. This is, arguably, one of the most sought-after sermon series topics—everyone wants to hear about the End Times and what it truly means; and maybe, if we’re honest, what the cheat codes are to be in good standing. Is that our true fascination with this topic? Why are we so intrigued? What has been your experience with this theme, and what is your personal interest?
Tuesday: Read Matthew 25:34-35. Jesus lets the sheep know their reward, and why they have received it. “You served me,” Jesus proclaims. How does this match up with Paul’s writing in Ephesians 2:8-9–For it is by grace you are saved through faith— and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works so that no one can boast? How might this also live with the letter of James 2:14, 17–What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Surely that faith cannot save, can it? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead?
Wednesday: Read Matthew 25:37-40. The sheep wonder how and when they served Jesus, their king, in such a way. “When did we see you hungry, thirsty, lonely, naked, in prison?” Jesus’s response was: “Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.” The Least of These. What has been your experience seeing Jesus in the face of those in need? What was it like to encounter Jesus in those you have reached out to?
Thursday: Read Matthew 25:41-43. Now things get uncomfortable. Does this bring up memories for us when we have looked the other way? What was our reasoning? Did the person/people not seem “worthy?” Someone once said: “If every person in the world was worthy of trust, then I would personally see to it that every homeless person I come across would get some kind of contribution from me.” How do we decide that? How has Jesus, our King, commanded us to decide who is worthy of giving, and who is not…?
Friday: Read Matthew 25:44-46. A saying floating around right now is “The test of Christianity is not loving Jesus… it’s loving Judas.” Do we allow ourselves to do this? Do we allow ourselves to remember the times we have actively chosen not to see Jesus in someone? How does this judgement live alongside our fascination with the End Times? As we hopefully notice how closely Jesus the King lives amongst his people—his Kingdom—how does this help us to better understand and live into the Jesus’s proclamation that “the Kingdom of God is here?”